Habib Bank Limited FC

Last updated
Habib Bank
HBLFC.png
Full nameHabib Bank Limited Football Club
Nickname(s)The Bankers
Short nameHBL
Founded1975;50 years ago (1975)
Dissolved2015;10 years ago (2015)
StadiumVarious, Karachi
Owner Habib Bank Limited

Habib Bank Limited Football Club, abbreviated as HBL, served as the football section of Habib Bank Limited. Based in Karachi, Sindh, the club competed in the National Football Championship and Pakistan Premier League.

Contents

History

Early years (1970s)

The Habib Bank Limited football team was founded by Habib Bank Limited, one of Pakistan's largest banks, in 1975 when the bank created a formal sports setup and began fielding departmental teams in national sports competitions including football. [1] [2]

Rise and national titles (1980s)

In the 1982 National Football Championship, the team won its first national title after defeating Pakistan Railways in the final. [3]

The next year, the team finished runner-ups after falling against WAPDA in the final. [3]

Continental debut (1986–87 Asian Club Championship)

The team notably participated at the 1986 Asian Club Championship after winning the 1985 Inter-Provincial Championship final against Punjab. [4] At the Asian top tier, with former Pakistan international Moosa Ghazi was drawn in Group 4 held in Colombo as venue. [5] The team recorded a 0–7 loss against Malavan (Iran), 1–2 loss against Saunders (Sri Lanka), and drew 2–2 against Victory (Maldives). [5] [6] [7] This was the second continental appearance for a Pakistani club side.

Perennial contenders (1990s–2000)

Habib Bank remained competitive through frequent restructures of the National Football Championship, finishing runners-up in 1991 and again runners-up in 2000. [3]

Pakistan Premier League era (2004–2015)

They were one of the founding members of the Pakistan Premier League in the inaugural 2004 season. [8] They were relegated in the 2006–07 season, but were elected to return, alongside Pakistan Airlines, following expansion of the Pakistan Premier League to 14 clubs. [9]

Disbandment

The team was disbanded by the parental organisation in December 2015. [10]

Stadium

Like several Pakistan domestic football teams, K-Electric did not own a dedicated ground. Hence the team used several municipal venues in Karachi such as the People’s Football Stadium and KPT Stadium for its home fixtures. [11] [12]

Rivalry

Habib Bank and National Bank developed a noted rivalry often referred to as the "Bank derby." In August 2008, Habib Bank recorded their first ever Pakistan Premier League win against National Bank in 2008. [13]

Performance in AFC competitions

  Win  Draw  Loss

SeasonCompetitionRoundClubFirst legSecond legAggregate
1986–87 Asian Club Championship Qualifying Stage Flag of Iran.svg Malavan 0–7
Flag of Sri Lanka.svg Saunders SC 1–2
Flag of Maldives.svg Victory SC 2–2

Honours

References

  1. ↑ "Pakistan - Foundation Dates of Clubs". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  2. ↑ Husain, Saeed (2025-05-09). "The Lost Era Of Departmental Sports". Aurora Magazine. Retrieved 2025-09-19.
  3. 1 2 3 "Pakistan - List of Champions". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
  4. ↑ "Pakistan - List of Cup Winners". RSSSF . Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  5. 1 2 Bhatti, Mukhtar (1999). Pakistan Sports: An Almanac of Pakistan Sports with Complete Records 1947-1999. Bhatti Publications. pp. 237–250.
  6. ↑ "Asian Club Competitions 1986/87". RSSSF . Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  7. ↑ "وب سایت تاریخ ورزش ایران | Iran Sport History Website". hisport.ir. Retrieved 2025-09-19.
  8. ↑ "Pakistan 2004". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2025-09-19.
  9. ↑ "Pakistan 2006/07". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2025-09-19.
  10. ↑ "HBL football team disbanded". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  11. ↑ InpaperMagazine, From (2013-01-13). "No competition!". Dawn. Retrieved 2025-09-19.
  12. ↑ Andrew, Marylou (2014-07-01). "Beyond cricket". Aurora Magazine. Retrieved 2025-09-19.
  13. ↑ "HBL outplay NBP 3-0 in all-Bank show". The Nation. 2008-08-23. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.